Oh no, not again

Jimmy Kelly's reelection as Boston City Council president is a testimony to the sorry state of local politics

History, as a wry political adage has it, repeats itself the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. But what do we call it when it happens for a fifth or sixth time?

That we don't learn from our mistakes is a sad fact of public life. Anyone who doubts that need only look for proof to the reelection of Jimmy Kelly to an unprecedented sixth term as president of the Boston City Council. His victory, certainly one for the record books, is a reflection of the anemic state of Boston's once-robust political culture.

Is there no one else capable of winning support from a majority of the 13 councilors? Roxbury's Gareth Saunders -- although perhaps not the ideal candidate -- nevertheless deserves praise for sticking his neck out to challenge Kelly. And Charles Yancey of Mattapan and Tom Keane of the Back Bay and Beacon Hill likewise deserve plaudits, for backing Saunders's challenge. Even though there was no chance of winning, this trio of mavericks performed a valuable public service in trying to unseat Kelly.

Kelly's fiercest critics brand him as a racist and a homophobe. More-moderate observers concede that he's inflammatory and divisive. Yet his supporters herald him as a champion of conservative blue-collar voters and a tough advocate for the interests of his South Boston home base, which is one of Boston's most parochial and most politically intense neighborhoods.

Kelly is competent. Even critics acknowledge that he keeps business flowing. He is tight with labor, which makes it unlikely that incumbents will risk his wrath in an election year. He's a close ally of Mayor Menino, which makes it all the more convenient for councilors dependent on City Hall patronage to curry his favor. Perhaps his most admirable attribute is that he cuts his supporters plenty of ideological slack.

No one, however, would argue that he's a politician of vision. And that's what the council needs in the president's chair. The city council's power may be limited, but it does have the power to float ideas and suggest innovations. In the past, councilors like Larry DiCara and John Nucci did just that. Today Peggy Davis-Mullen and Keane generate the intellectual wattage.

And Kelly? At best, he promotes a go-along-to-get-along council that is needlessly subservient to Menino. At worst, he periodically fans the flames of hatred that have so seared this city in the past. His most recent stunt: a round robin of circuslike hearings on affirmative action. Yes, it is a subject for debate. But given this town's past history, citizens have a right to expect that such a controversial issue will be dealt with sensitively.

Expediency, the status quo, and narrow neighborhood interests define the Kelly agenda. Boston deserves better.

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